After living in China for a while, few things really get under my skin. One is the incessant spitting. The other is the toilet paper situation in Chinese public washrooms. Thank goodness here in Canada we always seem to have toilet paper in public washrooms. As for spitting, yes, when Chinese people come to Canada they also bring their spitting, though it is not as prevalent.
In general, almost universally, there will be no toilet paper in Chinese public washrooms. This includes restaurants. You need to come prepared, as all Chinese people are. Wallet? Check. Keys? Check. Toilet Paper?…
Facial recognition toilet paper dispenser in Tiantan Park, Beijing, China, costs $720USD, or 85% of the average Chinese person’s monthly income. Too high for kids.
Recently in the news there was a article about facial recognition toilet paper dispenser at Tiantan 天壇 / Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing. I’ve been there many times, though not recently. The washroom looks positively grand, with marble on the walls. it is clean, though I can still see a broken tile. The machine costs $720 US, which can buy a huge amount of toilet paper.
Why I find this mysterious is that someone in China would spend $720 + installation on a facial recognition machine for a toilet. It is a sheer waste of money. Placed high up for an average sized adult, the machine is too tall for kids. Do you really need to accompany your kids to the washroom so that you can dispense toilet paper?
Usually there is a charge to use the washroom in China, no toilet paper is available, and hopefully there is water to wash your hands after, though no guarantee.
The average yearly wage in China in 2015 is 62,000RMB, $10,000USD/yr or $861USD/mo. One of these machines costs just over a month’s salary of an average Chinese worker. The average wage of a US worker was $57,616USD in September 2016, or $4,800USD/mo. Can you imagine spending $4,060USD on a facial recognition system to dispense toilet paper?
$720USD could also buy a huge amount of toilet paper. Or hire someone to dispense toilet paper.
Anyway, this is a good publicity stunt by the Chinese government to show how advanced China has become, but it really is ridiculous. Go to a smaller city and see how the people live, much less to a farming area. They would gawk at such a machine.
